Head and neck garment

ABSTRACT

A head and neck garment comprises a head covering (or hood) member, a neck member including a body having two ends, a zipper attached to the body near the ends, thereby forming two flaps which are positioned beneath the zipper. The zipper is not as long as the ends, and the remainder of the ends are stitched together. The zipper is attached to the neck member body at an angle that is about 45 degrees, such that when the zipper is moved into a closed position, the garment enables the wearer to warm their neck, and when the wearer wants to cool down, the zipper is moved into an open position, the ends are separated and remain open, exposing an area of the wearer and enabling the exposed area to be cooled down without interference from the garment. The garment is particularly suited for outdoor activities such as skiing.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION.

The present invention is an article of apparel which can warm thewearer's neck and head, or neck, and includes a means to open it readilyso the wearer can maintain a comfortable temperature while participatingin activities such as skiing, ice skating, snowmobiling and the like.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the northern hemisphere, keeping warm in winter is often a problem.When engaging in outdoor activities such as skiing, sledding,iceskating, snowmobiling, snowboarding, snowshoeing, and the like, thissituation can be exacerbated; exposed body parts become even colderbecause of their exposure to the wind created by the speed of theparticipant moving through the cold environment. To protect againstexposure, and keep the neck, face and head warm, people wear variousitems such as ski masks, scarves, mufflers, hats or hoods to cover theseregions. While these garments initially help to warm up or protect theexposed areas from the cold, because of the heat generated by theindividual while engaging in these activities, that additional heat can,over time, lead to overheating. Because many of these activities requirethe participant to maintain their balance, or to maintain theirconcentration, it becomes difficult to adjust or remove these itemswithout risking a potential accident.

Hayden (U.S. Pat. No. 4,495,660) discloses a neck garment comprising amuffler portion and an integral apron portion. The garment includes aset of interengageable fastening means that extend across the width ofeach end of the material, such that the garment can be put on and aroundthe wearer's neck without having to be extended over the wearer's head.The closure can be either a zipper, hook and loop fasteners, buttons orsnaps.

In U.S. Pat. No. 4,168,543 Baker discloses a protective neck garment,which is a one-piece, continuous, resiliently stretchable structure thatis generally tubular in shape and adapted to fit over and conformclosely to the wearer's neck. An embodiment includes an inner layerintended to protect the wearer's neck from irritation by the garment'souter layer. The inner layer extends beyond the outer layer, and can berolled over the outer layer. The outer layer may be made from aninsulating material, such as stretch wool, and the inner layer of cottonto protect the wearer's neck from irritation.

Coursey (U.S. Pat. No. 2,507,333) discloses a closure for mufflers,wherein the zipper is inserted into the garment such that the zipper ishidden when the garment is closed.

U.S. Pat. No. 2,042,442 (Buchman) discloses a scarf which is closed by azipper (which is exposed) when worn on the individual's neck. Buchmandiscloses using down, sewn in pockets within the scarf, for addedwarmth.

In U.S. Pat. No. 811,096 Scott discloses a muffler which is closed bymeans of snap fasteners, positioned in the back of the muffler whenworn.

Herbranson (U.S. Pat. No. 2,346,918) discloses a one piece neck scarfcomprising a rectangular piece of fabric and a zipper attached along aside of the fabric, and the zipper can be used to completely orpartially fasten the scarf when worn around the wearer's neck.

In U.S. Pat. No. 746,586 Schoch et al. disclose a combination mufflerand chest protector, one embodiment for males and another for females.The female embodiment uses fasteners, such as buttons or snaps, to closethe muffler at the back, when worn by the user.

Campbell (U.S. Pat. No. 4,601,066) discloses a combination fashion andexercise garment including warmers that are attached to the garment andwhich wrap around the desired body part. The garment includes warmers,strips of material attached at one end to the garment, and which furthercomprises mating strips to secure the warmer around the body part. Thewarmers may be permanently attached to the garment by stitching orsimilar means, or removably attached thereto by means of snaps.

Mustata (U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,618) discloses a neck and chest scarfcomprising several layers of material which, when worn, are closed bymeans of a hook and loop fastener at the back of the user's head andneck. The inventor states that a zipper can be substituted for the hookand loop closures, but using such types of closure at the rear of agarment worn by participants in an active outdoor activity isimpractical, particularly in activities where an individual may haveother equipment in their hands, or where the individual must maintaintheir balance.

In U.S. Pat. No. 6,163,883 Hong discloses a garment with a magnetic ventclosure, as an example of a garment which can be used for flow-throughcooling of the user, such as a motorcyclist, during warm weather andwhich can be used in conjunction with other protective clothing.

Carey, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,272,690 B1, discloses a head coveringcomprising a mask member with a head member joined together to define anopening that registers with the eyes. The mask member is formed ofneoprene. The head member, formed of a fleece material, has a scarfportion extending below the head to surround the neck area of the user.This one-piece garment provides no means to open or adjust the scarfportion of the head covering.

In U.S. Pat. No. 5,214,804 Carey et al. disclose a protective mask withscarf, held in place about the user's head and neck by a hook and loopfastener, positioned at the rear of the garment, and thus, difficult forone to access while actively engaging in sports.

A recurrent problem that I described in my previous U.S. Pat. No.(6,397,403 B1), is that once conventional neck warmers or masks areopened, the material still remains on the body part sought to be cooled.Because many of the aforementioned activities require the participant tomaintain their balance, or to maintain their concentration, it becomesdifficult to adjust or remove these items without risking a potentialaccident. Furthermore, many individuals engaged in activities such asskiing now wear helmets to protect against the risk of head injury, aswell as goggles for eye protection. Helmets and goggles add to the bulkaround the individual's neck, and are usually not removed during theseactivities. A scarf or muffler, once opened, still physically remains inthe area, and it may literally be “flapping around in the wind”, whichcan, for example only, cause further distraction, block the wearer'svision or other consequences. Even using a jacket having a zipper whichextends over the wearer's neck and face, once the zipper is opened therestill is material that needs to be removed from the area to cool itdown. A ski mask or hood also presents similar problems, because if itis pulled down from the head, it still surrounds the neck unless it iscompletely removed. A hat requires removal, and a convenient place inwhich to place it safely; and such actions are not always feasible. Thisinventor has observed this problem with garments including zippers usedin the conventional manner (i.e., straight up and down, along the lengthof the wearer's neck), and has overcome this problem by altering theangle at which the zipper is positioned within the garment, therebyenabling the opened garment to lay out of the way, and allow for coolingof the warmed area.

The present invention is an improvement upon my previous invention, inthat in addition to the garment being used as a neck muffler, itincludes a hooded portion which will cover the wearer's head, yet allowthe hood portion to be removed from the head, and still allow the wearerto cool their head and neck by means of the zipper contained in the neckmember of the garment of the present invention.

The present invention is an article of clothing designed for keeping thewearer's neck warm during outdoor activities, such as skiing or othercold weather activities. The garment includes a neck member and a headcovering (or hood) member. The hood member can be made from one or morepieces of fabric, and is attached to the neck member. The hood membercan be worn over as much of the head as the user desires. The neckmember is made of a single piece of fabric, and includes a zipper whichis sewn in at an approximately 45 degree angle in relation to the lengthof the wearer's neck. The neck member is made such that there is a layerof material beneath the zipper, to protect the wearer's neck fromcontact with the zipper. By using a zipper at this particular angle, theinventor has found the garment can be opened readily by a user whileskiing, and can also be kept open, offering the wearer the ability tocool off readily, yet be out of the way, a problem that occurs when azipper is used in the conventional manner.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention is to provide a garment thatwill provide warmth to its wearer, and be sufficiently easy to open toenable the wearer to cool down.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment thatwhen opened, will lay out of the way of the wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment that canprovide warmth to the neck of an individual, and when opened, will layout of the way of the wearer.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment that canprovide warmth to the head of an individual, and when the hood member ofthe garment is removed from the wearer's head, and the garment opened,the opened garment will lay out of the way of the wearer.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a garmentthat can provide warmth to the head and neck of an individual, and whenthe hood member of the garment is removed from the wearer's head, andthe garment opened, the opened garment will lay out of the way of thewearer.

Another object of the present invention to provide a garment that iseasy to use by an individual participating in activities during coldweather.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a garment that iseconomical to manufacture, and is durable to withstand repeated use.

The present invention is an article of clothing designed for keeping thewearer's neck warm during outdoor activities, such as skiing or othercold weather activities. The garment comprises a body having two ends, azipper attached to the body near the ends, thereby forming two flapswhich are positioned beneath the zipper. The zipper is not as long asthe ends, and the remainder of the ends are stitched together. Thezipper is attached to the body at an angle that is about 45 degrees,such that when the zipper is moved into a closed position, the garmentenables the wearer to warm their neck, and when the wearer wants to cooldown, the zipper is moved into an open position, the ends are separatedand remain open, exposing an area of the wearer and enabling the exposedarea to be cooled down without interference from the garment. Thegarment is particularly suited for outdoor activities such as skiing.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWING

FIG. 1 is a plan view of the present invention, with the closure in theclosed position.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of a fabric piece used to manufacture the hoodmember.

FIG. 3 is a view of the present invention when worn over the head andcovering part of the face.

FIG. 4 shows the present invention when the hood member is worn behindthe head.

FIG. 5 illustrates the present invention in an open position.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is an article of clothing 10 designed for wearingabout the user's head and neck during what are generally considered tobe cold weather activities, such as skiing, iceskating, snowmobiling,snowboarding, snowshoeing, sledding or the like. While the presentinvention is intended for use in outdoor activities, it is to beunderstood that the present invention could be worn indoors, such as inice arenas or the like, and no limitation to outdoor wear is intended,or for its use at specific temperatures or climates, except as describedwithin the appended claims.

The present invention 10 (FIG. 1) is a head and neck garment. Thisembodiment of the head and neck garment 10 is made from several piecesof fabric. The garment 10 comprises a neck member 20 and a head member,or hood, 60. Neck member 20 is made from a single piece of fabric, witheach piece having a first (inner) surface 22 and a second (outer)surface 24 and two ends 26 and 28, from a pattern (not shown) thatessentially has the form of a parallelogram. When the neck member isassembled, the first surface 22 becomes the inner surface 22 of thegarment's neck member 20, and the second surface 24 becomes the outersurface 24 (FIG. 5).

Prior to assembly, and to create a more finished appearance, a portion30 and 32 of the outer surface 14, are folded over onto a portion ofinner surface 22 and joined together by means of stitching 34 to formupper seam 36 and lower seam 38. It is to be understood that other meansof attaching fabrics to one another to form seams can be employed, andsuch methods can include attachment by means of heat, hot melt glues,adhesives, or other methods known to those skilled in the art.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the ends 26 and 28 of neck member 20 arejoined by a closure 40. In this embodiment, closure 40 is a zipper, andthe zipper terminates with a traditional zipper pull-tab 42. Other meansfor operating the zipper can be substituted for or added to, pull-tab42, such as rings (metallic, or non-metallic, such as, but not limitedto plastics, nylon, and the like), tabs made from materials other thanmetals, such as plastics or rubber, or fabrics ranging from leather,nylon or other durable material.

The hood member 60 (or head covering member) is made from two pieces offabric 62, shaped generally as shown in FIG. 2. Each piece of fabricincludes a front surface 64, a top surface 66, a rear surface 68 whichis contiguous with the top surface 66, and a bottom surface 70. The hoodmember 60 is formed by joining the fabric pieces along their top 66 andrear 68 surfaces, forming an elongated body, having a seam 72 created bystitching 34. In the embodiment shown in the drawings, the seam andstitching is inside the hood, but the seam and stitching can bepositioned in any manner that one of ordinary skill in the art may deemappropriate. A second seam 74 is formed along the front edges by meansof stitching 34, to provide the garment with a more finished appearance.The hood member 60 (head covering member) is joined to the neck member20 by stitching the hood member (head covering member) proximate itsbottom surface 70 to the upper seam 36 of neck member 20, such that theclosure 40 remains in the front of the head and neck garment 10. Asshown in FIG. 1, this results in the formation of an opening 76 forinsertion of the wearer's head and face through the garment. The garment10 is made from a stretchable fabric (described below) and fits over thehead and neck of the wearer. The hood member 60 (or head coveringmember) can be worn so that is covers the head (FIG. 3) or rests behindthe head or neck (FIG. 4), or anywhere in between, depending upon theneeds of the wearer. The wearer's eyes are visible through the opening76, and the front of the neck member 20 can be positioned as low or ashigh on the face as the wearer desires, such that much of the face andnose can be protected, while still allowing vision.

Although assembly of the hood member 60 (head covering member) usingmultiple pieces of fabric has been described herein, it is to beunderstood that a hood member produced using other methods, such as froma single piece of fabric, or from more than two pieces of fabric, orfrom a knitted or crocheted material is expressly contemplated to bewithin the scope of the present invention.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, the zipper 40 is not coextensive withthe length of ends 26 and 28. In this manner, the garment 10 of thepresent invention is intended to be opened and worn by first pulling itover the head and neck of the wearer. Further, because the zipper 40 isnot coextensive with the length of the ends, the garment 10 should notcome off during use.

Typically, zippers are inserted in garments such that when the garmentis worn, the zipper is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the garment(i.e., generally straight up and down, as in a jacket or pair oftrousers). In the present invention, the zipper 40 is sewn into thegarment at an angle of approximately 45 degrees in relation to thelength of the wearer's neck. By insertion of the zipper 40 at the angleshown in FIG. 1 the inventor has found that during an activity such asdownhill skiing, the user can readily open the garment 10 by slidingzipper 40 to a desired position, and that the ends 26 and 28 joined bythe zipper can be easily separated.

The ends 26 and 28 are joined (FIG. 5) such that there is overlapbetween the ends and the zipper 40, forming a first flap 44, which flapprotects the wearer's neck from contact with the zipper. Second flap 46,attached to end 26, is generally smaller than first flap 44. First flap44 has a length that is greater than the length of the zipper 40, andfirst flap 44 may be coextensive with the length of ends 26 and 28. Thegarment 10 is closed by taking the remaining portions of each ends 26and 28 that are not connected by zipper 40 and attaching them to oneanother by conventional methods of attachment, such as stitching 34,forming seam 50.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the zipper 40 is sewn into the garment at anapproximately 45 degree angle in relation to the length of the wearer'sneck. By insertion of the zipper 40 at this particular angle, it hasbeen found that the garment can be opened readily by a user whileskiing, and that the garment can be kept open. The combination of easyopening and the ability to remain open is an advantage of the presentinvention. The present invention offers the wearer the ability to cooloff readily, yet not have material covering up the area to be cooleddown, or getting in the way, a problem that occurs when a zipper is usedin the conventional manner (i.e., straight up and down, along the lengthof the wearer's neck).

The garment is made such that there is a layer of material beneath thezipper, to protect the wearer's neck from contact with the zipper.

In an embodiment, the present invention is manufactured from a materialsold under the trademark POLARFLEECE® (Registered trademark of MaldinMills Industries, Inc., Lawrence Mass.), which is a stretch typematerial now commonly used for the manufacture of outdoor garments, butcan be made from any suitable material, including POLARTEC® (Registeredtrademark of Maldin Mills Industries, Inc., Lawrence Mass.), POLARTEK®(Registered trademark of Ads Properties Corp., Burlington Vt.), orsimilar materials.

Although not shown in the drawings, a lining can be included in thegarment for added warmth, and the lining can be any suitable material.The lining can be sewn into the garment using conventional methods, anddepending upon the style selected by a manufacturer, could extend beyondthe body of the neck garment 10 of the present invention.

In use, the user opens up the garment 10 of the present invention byunzipping the zipper, and the user pulls the open garment over theirhead until it rests over their neck, and the hood member 60 covers asmuch of their head as the user deems necessary. The zipper is then movedto a position that the user finds comfortable. The wearer can place thehood member 60 over their head, either partially or completely, orposition it so that is remains behind their neck. The garment 10 can beworn under the user's outer clothing, such as over a shirt; overouterwear such as a jacket, jumpsuit or the like; or in any manner theuser finds comfortable. Generally the garment is worn with its zipperedregion in the front, but if the hood member is not worn over the head,any position that is comfortable to the wearer and which enables thewearer to grasp the zipper can be employed. As the user is participatingin a particular activity, as they feel warm, the hood member 60 can bepushed back, and/or the zipper can be grasped and opened, the ends 26and 28 are separated, enabling the user to cool themselves down or toreach a comfortable temperature. The open garment remains on the wearer.As the wearer cools off sufficiently, and seeks additional warmth, thegarment is then closed by moving the zipper to a comfortable closedposition, and, where desired, the hood member is repositioned as desiredon the wearer's head.

Therefore, although this invention has been described with a certaindegree of particularity, it is to be understood that the presentdisclosure has been made only by way of illustration and that numerouschanges in the details of construction and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of theinvention.

1. A garment comprising: a head covering member, comprising: anelongated body having a front end; and a back end having a bottomsurface; a neck member having a body, comprising: two ends, the endsbeing joined by a means for fastening, the means for fastening not beingcoextensive with the ends; the means for fastening attached to the bodyproximate one of the ends, forming a flap, the flap positioned beneaththe means for fastening; the body further having an upper region; thehead covering member being joined to the neck member upper region byattachment of the head covering member proximate its bottom surface; themeans for fastening being attached to the neck member at an angle thatis not parallel with the length of the neck of a wearer; and a means forconnecting, the means for connecting joining the neck member ends at aregion where the neck member ends are not connected by the means forfastening, such that when the means for fastening is moved to an openposition, the garment remains open when worn by the wearer.
 2. Thegarment as described in claim 1, wherein the means for fastening is azipper.
 3. The garment as described in claim 2, wherein the zipper isattached to the neck member body at an angle between about 10 degreesand about 170 degrees.
 4. The garment as described in claim 3, whereinthe zipper is attached to the neck member body at an angle between about30 degrees and about 150 degrees.
 5. The garment as described in claim4, wherein the zipper is attached to the neck member body at an angle ofabout 45 degrees.
 6. The garment as described in claim 1, wherein themeans for fastening is further attached to the neck member bodyproximate the second end, forming a second flap, the second flap beingbeneath the means for fastening.
 7. The garment as described in claim 6,wherein the head covering member further comprises a second seam, thesecond seam being formed along the front edge.
 8. The garment asdescribed in claim 2, wherein the bottom surface of the head coveringmember is not coextensive with the neck member body.
 9. A garmentcomprising: a head covering member, comprising: an elongated body havinga front end; and a back end having a lower edge; a neck member having abody, the body comprising two ends, a zipper attached to the bodyproximate the ends, forming a first flap and a second flap, both flapsbeing positioned beneath the zipper, the zipper not being coextensivewith the ends, the zipper being attached to the body proximate one ofthe ends, the body further comprising an upper region; the head coveringmember being joined to the neck member upper region by attachment of thehead covering member proximate its lower edge; a means for connecting,the means for connecting closing the body at a region where the ends arenot connected to the zipper; and the zipper being attached at an anglethat is about 45 degrees; such that when the zipper is moved into aclosed position, the garment enables the wearer to warm their neck, andwhen the zipper is moved into an open position, the garment enables thewearer to cool their neck, and the ends are separated and remain open,exposing an area of the wearer and enabling the exposed area to becooled down without interference from the garment.
 10. A garmentcomprising: a head covering member, comprising: an elongated body havinga front end; and a back end having a lower edge; a neck member having abody, comprising: two ends, the ends formed at an angle that is notperpendicular to the body, the ends being joined by a means forfastening, the means for fastening not being coextensive with the ends;the means for fastening attached to the body proximate one of the ends,forming a flap, the flap positioned beneath the means for fastening; thebody further having an upper region; the head covering member beingjoined to the neck member upper region by attachment of the headcovering member proximate its lower edge; and a means for connecting,the means for connecting joining the neck member ends at a region wherethe neck member ends are not connected by the means for fastening, suchthat when the means for fastening is moved to an open position, thegarment remains open.
 11. The garment as described in claim 10, whereinthe means for fastening is a zipper.
 12. The garment as described inclaim 11, wherein the zipper is attached to the neck member body at anangle between about 10 degrees and about 170 degrees.
 13. The garment asdescribed in claim 12, wherein the zipper is attached to the neck memberbody at an angle between about 30 degrees and about 150 degrees.
 14. Thegarment as described in claim 13, wherein the zipper is attached to theneck member body at an angle of about 45 degrees.
 15. The garment asdescribed in claim 10, wherein the means for fastening is furtherattached to the neck member body proximate the second end, forming asecond flap, the second flap being beneath the means for fastening. 16.The garment as described in claim 15, wherein the head covering memberfurther comprises a second seam, the second seam being formed along thefront edge.
 17. The garment as described in claim 11, wherein the bottomsurface of the head covering member is not coextensive with the neckmember body.
 18. A garment comprising: a head covering member,comprising: an elongated body having a front end; and a back end havinga lower edge; a neck member having a body, the body comprising two ends,the ends formed at an angle that is not perpendicular to the body, azipper attached to the body proximate the ends, forming a first flap anda second flap, both flaps being positioned beneath the zipper, thezipper not being coextensive with the ends, the zipper being attached tothe body proximate one of the ends, the body further comprising an upperregion; the head covering member being joined to the neck member upperregion by attachment of the head covering member proximate its loweredge; a means for connecting, the means for connecting closing the bodyat a region where the ends are not connected to the zipper; and thezipper being attached at an angle that is about 45 degrees; such thatwhen the zipper is moved to an open position, the ends are separated andthe garment remains open.